BlackBook On the Radar
BlackBook On the Radar TABLES OF DISTINCTION For the first time in two years, the restaurant business is full of momentum. Creativity and ambition abound as our best chefs eye a post-Covid world with optimism, bringing a raft of openings to both city and countryside. By Joe Rogers VOLTA DEL FUENTI, Amalfi Coast Chef Michele De Blasio returns from the Ritz- Carlton Osaka to helm the latest opening in Fuenti Gardens. The venture promises a spectacular vantage on the Tyrrhenian Sea and a celebration of Campanian produce. giardinidelfuenti.com BRUTALISTEN, Stockholm Equal parts beguiling and baffling from artist Carsten Höller and chef Stefan Eriksson. “We are born Brutalist eaters, as mother’s milk is essentially Brutalist,” declares the manifesto of a menu, which finds a permanent home in the Swedish capital with its dishes as pared back as its decor. brutalisten.com MORA, Hong Kong From left: Lisboeta chef Nuno Mendes, and his tofu stew with lobster A bijou French spot from fine-dining superstar Vicky Lau. Head chef Percy Ho serves a Characters of Soy tasting menu that explores the from the team behind the three- DAR, Zurich many facets of the beautiful bean. mora.com.hk Michelin-starred Single Thread. Plant-based Spanish/Moroccan cooking in LISBOETA, London Fresh from exec-chef duties at Chiltern Firehouse, Nuno Mendes pens a love letter to Portuguese cooking. Small plates like cured amberjack and Alentejo black pork precede sharable Arroz de Marisco with red prawns and razor clams. A classic in the making. lisboeta.co.uk LITTLE SAINT, Healdsburg, California Hyper-local, elbows-on-the-table vegan dining An excellent addition to the Wine Country food scene with communal seating and live music on Thursdays. littlesainthealdsburg.com CASA CRUZ, New York City The new venue from restaurateur Juan Santa Cruz is set to open this autumn, offering an evolution of the London original with some classic New York flavours. Classic British glamour on the Upper East Side. casacruz.london the Industriequartier. Sharing plates like corn tostadas with kefta sauce and charred harissa cabbage meet a solid brunch offering of treats like semolina pancakes with orange and house-made Nutella. restaurantdar.com LUCKY KWONG, Sydney Kylie Kwong’s lunch spot offers lovable Cantonese food with Australian ingredients. Devotees of the dearly departed Billy Kwong will be glad to see the homestyle fried eggs and XO sauce return in a line-up of dumplings and savoury pancakes. luckykwong.com.au THE TWENTY TWO, London A newly minted hotel and members’ club on Grosvenor Square. The natty dining room fields an Italian-inflected menu studded with classics. Crudo and pasta dishes sit merrily alongside kitschy lobster thermidor. the22.london ALADO, Lima A stylish and vertiginous space masterminded by James Berckemeyer. Building on his work at the acclaimed Cosme, he champions openfire cooking and Peruvian twists on shrimp gnocchi, steak tartare and confit duck. The Fuenti Gardens, an Amalfi Coast oasis and home to the new Volta del Fuenti restaurant instagram.com/aladorestaurante PHOTOS CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: © LISBOETA, © MORA, EMANUELA D'AMBROSI 22 CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM
CULINARY PAGE-TURNERS 1 2 3 5 6 Executive chef Alan Christie at The Twenty Two 7 PHOTOS © THE TWENTY TWO; BOOKS: COURTESY OF THE PUBLISHERS ALSO OF NOTE Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura (gucciosteria.com) in Seoul marks the Italian maestro’s first Asian restaurant; NYC mainstay Pastis (cafepastis.net) brings modern French dishes to South Miami; Line (lineathens.gr) bar and restaurant pairs smart hot dogs and small plates with an array of on-trend tipples in the Greek capital; Villa Frantzén (frantzengroup.com) brings a dose of Nordic cuisine and cocktails to Bangkok; Noema (noemamykonos.com) reopened on Mykonos this May with a bang, serving modern Greek cuisine and biodynamic wine. 4 8 1 Portugal: The Cookbook Nuno Mendes protégé Leandro Carreira offers a panregional survey of his native land in 550 stunning recipes, phaidon.com 2 Ayla Londonbased, Nepal-born chef Santosh Shah opens the pantry for 60-plus recipes inspired by traditions and produce from the Terai to the Himalayas, dk.com 3 Mabu Mabu Nornie Bero celebrates Indigenous Australian food with recipes for kangaroo-tail bourguignon, saltbush butter, pulled wild boar and more, hardiegrant.com 4 Ammu Asma Khan – owner of London’s acclaimed Darjeeling Express – shares a heart-warming reverie of treasured, home-cooked dishes from her childhood in India, interlinkbooks.com 5 The Nordic Baker From pear tart to gingerbread bundt cake, Sofia Nordgren presents a beautifully photographed collection of plant-based recipes, hardiegrant.com 6 Green Fire The global authority on all things barbecue, the famously carnivorous chef Francis Mallmann turns his gaze to the art of open-flame vegetable and fruit grilling, artisanbooks.com 7 Six California Kitchens Published just weeks after her passing at the age of 90, the French Laundry founder and farm-to-table pioneer Sally Schmitt’s tome is both memoir and cookbook, chroniclebooks.com 8 Mi Cocina Food writer Rick Martínez captures the sheer diversity – and deliciousness – of Mexican cuisine with more than 100 mouthwatering recipes, crownpublishing.com – CW CENTURION-MAGAZINE.COM 23
